Hello from the studio! It's been a long while, I know. I have been going in so many directions, not only with art studio activities, but with home and family as well. There's so much to be done in this off season...and the weeks are flying by. By the second half of March, I will be returning to nannying full days and that lasts until September. With my most recent art sale, just three days ago, the buyer mentioned she enjoys my blog. Well, the blog has been so far off the list, it's nearly fallen off. Thank you, Julie for saying you enjoy reading these...this one's for you!
The past two weeks have been surprisingly busy with artwork sales. To those who enjoy my work enough to purchase...a big thank you! Each piece brings me a huge amount of pleasure to paint. The fact that someone else is so attached and purchase a piece is a big deal. It's an investment in my time and passion, an added little bonus to the supplies fund, and the hope that I can continue for years to come. Some days, I confess, I wonder if I will run out of space to store the artwork. My husband says not to worry. He says to keep painting, even if I never sell another piece. I love that man more than I could have breath to tell!
The art room looks much the same, but there's quite a bit of new artwork collecting on the back counter. I have moved most of it from here to the next steps in completion. The paper takes on some faint buckling by the time the artwork is finished. I have a process for flattening it before I sign it. This time, I counted over 50 total. Many are miniatures but still quite a few 4" x 6" and 5" x 7" in the mix. Beyond those, I am finding maybe a dozen more that are close to being finished with a few brushstrokes. I have one art commission project in progress, to be finished by the end of February. At this point, my goal is to finish up the steps needed to list this great amount of artwork by mid March.
Our snowy season began earlier than usual, with first snowfall in September. By Thanksgiving, I had lost count of how many times it had snowed. On Thanksgiving day itself, we were on day 2 of a snowstorm that was more hefty than expected. We had the whole meal ready and only my husband and I at home. The value of a 4-wheel drive vehicle cannot be impressed enough. We were well stocked for supplies and power and heat stayed on. It was a memorable holiday for sure!
In a moment of pure silliness, I challenged a friend to do a free fall into the snow. This snow was so light and powdery. We were out often to shovel...again. I had my husband's help as I shared this on Facebook Live. My friend took the challenge and soon she was free falling though I think the ski goggles might be counted as a cheat.
I guess it's obvious by now that there's been no shortage of inspiration for snowy winter landscapes. As January is drawing to a close, I have got to say...I am snow over it. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) I have a collection of gorgeous winter watercolors to share now. I enjoyed each one. They were a relaxing way to spend cold days indoors, with hot tea, and lovely music playing in the background. I spent two afternoons hosting a winter landscape workshop here in the studio. These were completed around that same time. There are probably more, but this gives a good peek at what I've finished so far.
Thank you to Cath for the nudge to try this one. She took my winter landscape workshop...she was the one who requested a workshop. She asked for some tips during our time together. She was wondering how to paint snow on branches.
So as the ladies painted on their projects, I headed outside to get a few photos to work from to demonstrate. I took the photos on my phone, later shared them in a google album online, and began this painting. I was able to show how to quickly sketch the basic details, lay down a first wash of color, use masking fluid to save whites/lights...and then after laying down the second wash of color, our time was up.
They asked for me to finish it and share a video. It's been a while since I have saved and posted a video. On the day I was ready to finish this piece, I set up my phone on a tripod and recorded my process. They were able to go online and watch this with a link. My skills are improving a bit at a time...both artwork and technology wise.
I think I have fallen in love with this one. I love all of the work I create but sometimes there is a painting I think cannot go anywhere. This one needs to stay put here, hung on my wall for now. In 2020, one of my goals will be to add more paintings larger than 5" x 7" so we'll see how that turns out.
I am sure many readers have wondered at where I had gone. It's been such a long time but not to worry. While I may not be sharing the in-depth posts with how to and recommendations for products, I am still actively creating artwork. My time is limited and I am using it with painting the watercolor artworks. I will soon be at the one year anniversary of my website launch. My plan is to have it updated with quite a few new artworks in the next month or two. I am very active on Instagram because it's become so familiar with the use of my phone camera.
Perhaps, one day I will figure out a great and simple method for staying consistent with blog posts once again. Thanks for stopping by and hoping you enjoyed a glimpse of what I have been doing creatively.
Christy
She must make art.
website: christysheeler.com
instagram: @christysheeler.artist
facebook: @ChristySheelerArtist
email: christysheeler.artist@gmail.com